From the NHD FAQ Page

An annotation normally should be about 1-3 sentences long. You might be tempted to create page-long annotations to impress the judges. Don't do it! Lengthy annotations are usually unnecessary and inappropriate, and most judges consider them an effort to "pad" the bibliography.The Contest Guide says the annotations "must explain how the source was used and how it helped you understand your topic." Be sure that you explain that rather than making the mistake of recounting what the source said. In addition to explaining how you used a source or how it helped you, you sometimes need to include some additional information in an annotation. Here are some examples:

Classification as primary or secondary source. You should use the annotation to explain why you categorized a particular source as primary or secondary, IF it could be controversial. Historians sometimes disagree and there's not always one right answer, so justify your choice to the judges.

Secondary source which included primary sources. You also may use the annotation to explain that a book or other secondary source included several primary sources used for the paper. Examples: "This book included three letters between person X on the frontier and person Y back in New England, which provided insight into the struggles and experiences of the settlers." "This book provided four photos of settlers on the Great Plains and their homes, which were used on the exhibit."

Fuller explanation of credits for documentaries. You are supposed to give credit in the documentary itself for photos or other primary sources, but you can do this in a general way, such as by writing, "Photos from: National Archives, Ohio Historical Society, A Photographic History of the Civil War" rather than listing each photo individually in the documentary credits, which would take up too much of your allotted 10 minutes. You then can use the annotation for the collection or book (or whatever) in the bibliography to provide more detailed information

NHD Webinar on Bibliographies 2014

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